Southlanders Should Prepare For Snow

Met Service has issued a severe weather warning for much of Southland with heavy snowfalls expected for today and tomorrow.

From this evening snow is expected down to sea-level in coastal parts of Southland and Clutha. Snow showers are likely to continue throughout Thursday across the remainder of Southland and Clutha and a heavy snow warning is now in place. Snow is likely to affect all the main Alpine Passes and also many roads in Southland and Otago from tonight.

Neil Cruickshank, Manager for Emergency Management Southland said motorists need to take particular extra care and check road conditions before travelling. “The roads are probably going to be pretty treacherous and people should consider whether they really need to travel at all. While the snow may not settle in many places, people are better to be cautious when making their plans for Thursday”

With strong cold south-westerlies and snow showers forecast for Southland and Clutha tomorrow, farmers may wish to consider shelter for any vulnerable animals.

Some areas may have power outages due to the snow. “It is likely that people will wake up to reasonable snow around Southland tomorrow, so businesses and schools especially, should consider issues around transport of staff and students during Thursday,” Neil says.

Emergency Management Southland will continue to monitor the situation, as will the Emergency Services.